Re: need vegan dietician ASAP

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From: brooks32 (75.75.172.155)
Subject: Re: need vegan dietician ASAP
Date: April 16, 2008 at 5:37 pm PST

In Reply to: need vegan dietician ASAP posted by Melissa on April 16, 2008 at 7:51 am:

The only nutrition advice you should trust is from an RD! So I am glad you are seeking one. SOME MDs are qualified & competent enough to give nutrition counseling, however, many are not! Not sure if I would trust an "integrated medicine practitioner" if she/he is not a licensed medical professional.

Clearly your "integrated medicine practitioner" is considered about your fat and possible protein intake--which they should be, because these are problematic for some vegans. I am assuming they conducted a proper dietary assessment (i.e. food journal, 3-day food intake) of you to recommend this to you? If not, your trust level should for this person should decrease!

There is actually a vegan food guide pyramid and if you follow this you should meet all of your nutrient needs:
*6-10 servings bread/rice/pasta/cereals (fortified, if possible - but difficult if you only eat organic)
*1-2 servings fruit
*1-2 servings dried fruit
*2-4 servings vegetables
*2-3 servings green leafy vegetables
*2-3 servings beans and protein foods
*3 servings non-dairy substitutes (again fortified, if possible)
*2-3 teaspoons oils
**Supplement B12: 2.4 micrograms/d, vitamin D: 200 IU/d, and Calcium: 600 mg/d
*suggested multivitamin if you do not eat fortified foods

If you follow that there is no reason you need fish oils or meat! The only benefits of fish oils are Omega 3-6-9s. But, alas, you can find them in the vegetarian/vegans best friend: FLAX SEED! I prefer Barlean's Forti-Flax, found in organic sections or ordered online.

Other than that, if you are eating your nuts and legumes you should be great on protein! Remember, the average person needs .8g/kg (for kg divide your weight by 2.2).